St. Paul daily globe., 1887-01-10
C0NGRESST4EN DEFE NDED.
Most National E.egielators rOor and
Strictly Honorable Men.

correspondence New Y Ork Herald.
Gen. Logan, having spent nearly his
whole life in the service of his country,
has died poor. He has left but little prop
erty, and that is net productive. 1t is an
honorable record, and Mrs. Logan, who has
been the Sharer of his labOrS and anXietieS
for SO many years, need not hesitate to ac-
cept any pension which congress has voted.
Public life in this country is so absorb
ing that American public men are much
oftener poor than wealthy. Not many have
the gift of money making, and the calls
upon their means are great. Stanton. the
great war secretary, who might easily have
accumulated millions in his place, spent
part of his moderate private accumula-
tiOnS during the high-priced war times,
and left his family with very small means.
Mr.. Lincoln once, in the last year of his
presidency, told 4 personal friend with
great satisfaction that he had always been
careful with his money, and believed he
should be worth as much as $40, 900 at the
close of his term. He thought that very
handsome some of money.
Chief Justice Taney's family were left
poor. There is employed in the treasury
department lady who from the window
near her desk looks out on thew hte house
grounds, in which she played as child
the favorite grandchild of a president.
She was born i'll the White house, and is
now government clerk.
There are good many wealthy men in
congress, but much the greater number of
members of both houses are poor, honora-
bly, poor, and many of the ableSt men who
have served in congress for years live quietly
i'll obscure quarters or in hotels. and bear
the Inconvenience of life with honorable
contentment and just pride.
There is a too general impression that
congress is a venal body, and that a consid-
cradle part of its members are in some
way pecuniary gamers by their services
there. Fhe contrary is true. There is not
more honest, incorruptible. conscientious
body of men in any legislature in the world
than the congress of the United States.
The exceptions to the rule are few, and
have never been many, even in the most
corrupting times of the war and the intia-
tion period after the war. There are very
few men in every congress who aid or op-
pose legislation to serve corporations, or
in other ways use their influence and votes
for other than public ends and not with
view to personal gains to themselves.
But ofteneSt even these corporation SEN
ators and members, who quickly become
sort of black sheep among their associates.
seek as their private reward only the sup
port of corporation influences to secure
their re-eiectiolG TO this extent the in
tluence of powerful corporations in differ
ent parts of the country. east as well as
west, does undoubtedly make itself felt
in congress, and especially in the senate,
where it is now very difficult to get action
on measures. no matter how just and nee
esSary, which some great corporation op-
poses.
The speaker of the house. Mr.. Carlisle
the third officer in dignity and succession in
the government-lives with his wife in rooms
in all upper story of the Riggs house. Mr..
Morrison has lived during his whole and h, n
orable service in Wizards hotel, in narrow
quarters, and when this congress adjourns
VIII retire to private life as poor man as
when lie entered it. Mr.. Randall lives in
small house in not fashionable and OBJ
scure part of town. MI. Hiscock and Mr..
Reed. tie Republican leaders in the house.
both live at hotels, and hotel living is very
reasonable in price at Washington.
Speaker Kerr never had house here and
died poor. No speaker of the house. ex-
cept Mr.. Blaine, since the war, had a resi-